This version of GitHub Enterprise Server was discontinued on 2024-07-09. No patch releases will be made, even for critical security issues. For better performance, improved security, and new features, upgrade to the latest version of GitHub Enterprise Server. For help with the upgrade, contact GitHub Enterprise support.

Enabling anonymous Git read access for a repository

As a repository administrator, you can enable or disable anonymous Git read access for public repositories that meet certain requirements.

Repository administrators can change the anonymous Git read access setting for a specific repository if:

  • A site administrator has enabled private mode and anonymous Git read access.
  • The repository is public on the enterprise and is not a fork.
  • A site administrator has not disabled anonymous Git read access for the repository.

Notes:

  • You cannot change the Git read access settings for forked repositories since they inherit their access settings from the root repository by default.
  • If a public repository becomes private, then anonymous Git read access will automatically be disabled for that repository and it forks.
  • If a repository with anonymous authentication contains Git LFS assets, it will fail to download the Git LFS assets since they still require authentication. We strongly recommend not enabling anonymous Git read access for a repository with Git LFS assets.

  1. On your GitHub Enterprise Server instance, navigate to the main page of the repository.

  2. Under your repository name, click Settings. If you cannot see the "Settings" tab, select the dropdown menu, then click Settings.

    Screenshot of a repository header showing the tabs. The "Settings" tab is highlighted by a dark orange outline.

  3. In the "Danger zone" section, next to "Enable anonymous Git read access", click Enable.

  4. Review the changes. To confirm, type in the name of the repository and click I understand, enable anonymous Git read access.